Ben Chifley

Joseph Benedict "Ben" Chifley (22 September 1885-13 June 1951) was Prime Minister of Australia from 13 July 1945 to 19 December 1949, succeeding Frank Forde and preceding Robert Menzies. He belonged to the Australian Labor Party.

Biography
Joseph Benedict Chifley was born in Bathurst, New South Wales, Australia on 22 September 1885, and he became a railway engine driver and in 1920 joined the state general committee of the Australian Federated Union of Locomotive Enginemen. After three unsuccessful attempts he was finally elected to the House of Representatives as an Australian Labor Party member in 1928. He briefly became Minister of Defense in 1931 until he lost his seat that year, returning to Bathurst local politics. In 1935, Richard Casey ensured his appointment to the Royal Commission on Monetary and Banking Systems, making him familiar with the intricate system of government finance and convincing him of the need to nationalize banking. He used his time outside Parliament to rebuild Labor at the grass roots in New South Wales, and he returned to Parliament during Labor's landslide victory there in 1941. Despite the high cost of World War II, as Secretary of Treasury (1941-1949), he actually managed to reduce Australia's foreign debt significantly. He also became Minister for Postwar Reconstruction in 1942, when many social policies were devised which became law in the postwar period. Succeeding his friend John Curtin as Prime Minister in 1945, he supported Arthur Calwell's immigration policies, and introduced the Conciliation and Arbirtration Act of 1947 to regulate industrial arbitration. Although he encouraged the building of public housing, his social policies were relatively careful. Having been influenced by the Great Depression, to him the stability of the economy was paramount over social welfare schemes. The latter became particularly difficult to introduce, as buoyant domestic demand and high wage claims were already fuelling inflationary pressures. He tried to establish control over the Australian financial system, principally through the establishment of a central bank. When aspects of this measure were successfully challenged in the High Court, he responded by introducing legislation to nationalize all banks. In a two-year battle, this was also rejected by Australian and London High Courts. He failed to introduce a national health service in the face of doctors' resistance, and he lost the 1949 elections to Robert Menzies due to his stern economic policies (such as the maintenance of petrol rationing). He died in Canberra in 1951.